Naoise Ó’Gibne, a student on the MSc in Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology and coaching hurling and football across many schools with the GAA, shares insights into his sporting background, coaching youth athletes and his decision to study sports psychology.
Naoise is also an avid athlete and founder of Run Connemara.
Sporting Passion From a Young Age
“Sport and fitness has always been and will always be a key component of my life. I played Hurling, Gaelic, Handball, Rugby, Soccer, Athletics and Karate as a young child and was always active in my spare time,” Naoise explained. His teenage years mainly revolved around Gaelic games with his club Mícheál Breathnach. “The GAA played a pivotal role in these key years, from growing and developing my skills as an athlete to developing connections with others and being able to compete and test myself as an individual. The club I played for was an amazing outlet to have as a young individual.”
He also had “a great love for hiking and mountaineering” fostered by his dad. “I climbed Snowdon in Wales, Mount Elbert in the Rockies and many Alpine peaks during my time in France,” he said.
“This naturally developed into trail running where I eventually found the IMRA (Irish Mountain Running Association). Initially I would finish far back in the pack before I gradually began to work my way up the field. I’ve raced on mountains all across Ireland. My biggest results were winning the Connemara Adventure Challenge, a triathlon involving a mountain run, cycle and kayak section. Also, winning Galway and Connacht cross-country titles during this period and coming second in the Reeks Skyline, a race which involves running up and down Carrauntohill twice. I would consistently finish in the top ten in these races and most recently came 3rd in a race on Knockma in 2024.”
Run Connemara
During the pandemic, Naoise founded Run Connemara. What started as mountain hikes with friends turned into a community initiative. “I’ve brought many individuals up these mountains that I grew up hiking. And we have also undertaken challenges such as the Maumturks and Twelve Ben’s challenges down through the years and raised funds for charity through these challenges.”
Working Within The GAA
The GAA continues to be a central part of Naoise’s life. He first worked as a Club Development Officer working in three primary schools teaching and improving students’ fundamental skills, football and hurling.
He now works as a Sports Coach a role that comes with increased responsibility within a wider range of schools.
“I now work in 9 different schools all Irish-speaking schools in order to teach Gaelic Football, Hurling and Fundamental Movement Skills.
I usually work in 2-3 schools per day and carry out 1-3 sessions in each school. I work with both primary and secondary school kids/young adults and do both hurling and football with each class at different times of the year,” he said.
Coaching Youth Athletes
Naoise tailors his coaching approach based on the age and ability of students.
“With the younger age groups it is essential to work on the basic skills of each sport and progress slowly making sure it is fun and enjoyable, while reinforcing every positive step they make. As they get older an element of competition and challenge becomes more important and is something I try to add.
Understanding the varying levels within each class and tailoring your approach to the individuals in each class can be a challenge as you want to make certain aspects challenging but you also want to ensure each kid is getting something from the session and enjoying themselves,” he said.
Self-Reflection in Coaching
Self-reflection is another key area in his coaching. “An understanding of my role within the life of the complex individual lives each kid leads and a certain amount of self-reflection helps me in my aim to be a positive influence in the kids lives and one they will look back on fondly in years to come, with the aim of building their confidence and self-belief in themselves,” he shared. “I feel this is more important than any drill or aspect of training when working with young athletes, that you don’t hinder an individual on their path in sport but act as a positive influence on them.”
Although Naoise’s role focuses on skill development he hopes to create a balance of skill development with mental preparation going forward. “Following my graduation, the area of mental preparation is one I want to move towards as I find it is the most important aspect of sport,” he emphasised.
Studying with Setanta
Naoise completed a degree in Sport and Exercise Science where his interest in sports psychology was sparked.“During my undergrad sport psychology was covered and something clicked with me during these modules that made me want to go down this road fully,” he explained.
His decision to pursue the MSc in Applied Sport & Exercise Psychology stemmed from this along with his own experience. “The power of your mind I’ve always believed is an essential aspect of competition and getting yourself into the right frame of mind for competition is always an aspect that fascinated me as a sportsperson. If you weren’t prepared mentally on the day no matter how skilful you are things just won’t work out. And I’ve experienced them moments of flow where things just seem to click and you’re gliding through a sporting experience,” he shared.
During his studies, Naoise gained some valuable insights that have benefited him as a coach.
“An understanding that each individual leads a complex life is something I have come to appreciate more during my studies. Meeting people where they are and helping them to grow is something this holistic view helps me to bring into my coaching,” he said.
He also found concepts such as autonomy, relatedness, and competence particularly useful when working with groups.
“Self-reflection is something I am doing more and more of since my time at Setanta. Looking at how I coach and where my weaknesses/strengths lie is an aspect I have brought with me from my studies,” he added.
Looking ahead
Going forward Naoise is eager to learn more about sports psychology and returning to competing.
“I believe passionately that your mind is a powerful tool and an essential component of performance and I want to learn more and more about this area.
With studying towards my master’s in recent years my competing in trail running and running in general has taken a back seat. But having finished up this year I’m aiming to get back to the sport I love,” he shared.
Learn more about the MSc in Applied Sport & Exercise Psychology here.
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